NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 66.1
The Seed from the North (1)
The grand wall of Ragoit, which stretched across the eastern ruins of the Empire, was vast and towering.
Naturally, it had its share of small cracks and gaps.
These were tiny crevices that even the tightly packed alarm spells and barriers covering the wall couldn’t completely seal.
For mercenaries, who never knew what might happen, these little openings were essential.
They were especially useful for secretly selling off loot or smuggling contraband.
If none existed, they had to create them.
“What’s this? Was this passage always this wide?”
“At this point, it looks like a wagon could just barely squeeze through, Captain.”
“Something feels off… How are Hamel and Dain doing?”
“The bleeding has stopped, but they’re done as mercenaries, Captain.”
“Those bastards! I swear I’ll never work at this damn wall again.”
“You should’ve just killed them or chopped off their arms and legs, Captain.”
“Idiot, if we did that, we’d have a kill order on our heads.”
Carpe gritted her teeth, checking on her two injured subordinates inside the wagon.
“Hamel, Dain, you two hanging in there? How does it feel to see your ancestors after so long?”
Inside the wagon were two members of the Red Wolf mercenaries. One had lost his legs, and the other had lost his arms.
“Just leave us behind, Captain…”
“Captain, it’s been a pleasure working with you…”
“Cut the crap.”
After confirming the pale, ghostly faces of her subordinates, Carpe gave the order to enter through the small passage.
“This feels off, but we don’t have a choice. The pursuit squad will be on our trail soon, following our footprints.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
Even though the ominous feeling remained, Carpe and her mercenaries had no better option. They decided to enter through the gap.
“But seriously, this hole is way too big. Did an earthquake hit recently or something?”
“It feels way too artificial to be natural, Captain.”
“Are there other smugglers using this route besides us? These guys have no sense of subtlety. At least keep it discreet, damn it.”
“Well, it works for us. We won’t even have to unload those two from the wagon to get through.”
As she led her team through the passage, Carpe clicked her tongue in frustration.
“If the orcs find out about this, there’s gonna be a huge mess. Tsk tsk tsk…”
“Should we report it to the Imperial Army?”
“What’s in it for us? Besides, they’ll figure it out once they track our footprints.”
Just as they were about to fully pass through the hidden passage—
“Hold up! There’s someone there!”
“Hey, you! Who the hell are you?!”
“Everyone, prepare for battle!”
Carpe and the Red Wolf mercenaries quickly raised their weapons, shouting toward the presence ahead of them.
They had sensed people waiting for them.
‘These aren’t amateurs!’
‘Adventurers? No way adventurers would have this kind of presence.’
‘The ones who widened this passage… It must be them!’
Five men, dressed as adventurers, stood in front of them. It was clear from just a glance that they were no ordinary travelers.
“Are you Mercenary King Carpe and the Red Wolf mercenaries?”
One of the men, who appeared to be the leader of the group, finally spoke.
“…A northerner, huh?”
At the sound of his accent and voice, Carpe and the 30 Red Wolf mercenaries immediately realized who they were dealing with.
Though the men’s clothing and appearance thoroughly concealed their northern origins, the way he spoke with a northern accent was a deliberate choice to reveal their identity.
“That’s right. We’ll escort you.”
The high-ranking knight of the Frost Knights spoke calmly before stepping ahead of them.
“Wait a second. How did you know we’d be here?”
Carpe remained on high alert, her gaze sharp as she questioned them.
Instead of answering, the Frost Knight pointed to the sky.
BEEEEEEEEP!
High above, a white winter hawk soared gracefully through the air.
Currently, the north was a place where Imperial citizens faced heavy restrictions on their movements.
Unlike in the past, Imperial merchants and adventurers were no longer free to roam throughout the north.
“Here! This is proof that we’ve been faithfully paying taxes to the High Tower all this time! So let us pass like before!”
“Denied.”
“Why?!”
“Some of you merchants could be Imperial spies. The sins of your kind are far too many.”
“We’re innocent! We have nothing to do with those spies!”
“Doesn’t matter. Trade is only allowed here in Haven.”
“Double! We’ll pay double the usual escort fee!”
“Still not happening.”
At best, Imperial merchants were allowed to conduct business only at Haven, the border point between the Empire and the north.
The system worked like this: Imperial merchants would bring food, silk, clothing, and glass to Haven, where northern merchants would buy them and transport them further into the north.
It was a system that would have been unthinkable in the past.
“The north really has grown a lot.”
“It’s because of Arad salt and porcelain.”
Just a year ago, Renslet had no choice but to accommodate Imperial merchants, even those openly acting as spies for the Empire. They had been allowed to move freely across the north, all the way to the High Tower.
This was because, at that time, northern food and supplies depended on the flow of Imperial goods.
“North’s porcelain! Any more porcelain from the north?!”
“Please! I’ll pay extra if you can bring me more porcelain!”
“From the Empire to the Kingdom Alliance, the entire continent is going mad for porcelain!”
“The Rune Trading Company is here! Everyone, move!”
“Out of the way! We have to buy it all!”
At some point, however, the dynamic flipped.
Now, it was the Imperial merchants who were begging the northern merchants.
To obtain more porcelain, they were forced to sell food, silk, and clothing at dirt-cheap prices.
Northern merchants, in turn, sold furs, magic stones, monster by-products, Arad salt, and porcelain at premium prices in Haven.
Imperial merchants, having barely managed to obtain northern goods, would then resell them at much higher prices in the Empire and the Kingdoms.
“This is unbearable! It’s too inconvenient!”
“We need more Arad salt and porcelain!”
“If only we could reach the High Tower, where the porcelain is produced!”
But greed knows no limits.
And merchants, by nature, are especially greedy.
So, Imperial merchants and adventurers sought a way to enter the northern capital, the Grand Duchy of the North, and the High Tower.
But no one could get in.
“Due to recent incidents, we can no longer trust Imperial merchants and adventurers.”
“For that reason, we will no longer assist you in traveling beyond Haven into the north!”
The north was infamous for its brutal cold.
It was even more savage than the Empire’s eastern ruins.
There wasn’t a single Imperial merchant bold enough to risk the bitter cold, monsters, and deadly northern warriors just to reach the High Tower with only a small party.
Some of the Sigma agents, disguised as Imperial merchants and adventurers, had tried to enter, but none had returned alive.
“This is ridiculous! What kind of law is this?!”
“What kind of law, you ask? It’s our law. It’s entirely fair, you Imperial dogs.”
“Fair?! What part of this is fair?!”
Eventually, some Imperial merchants (Sigma agents) and adventurers (also Sigma) couldn’t take it anymore and confronted a northern official from the High Tower.
“All we’re doing is giving you the same treatment we got under Imperial law!”
“Which Imperial law are you talking about?! There’s no such law in the Empire!”
“Is that so? ‘No more than 20 northerners may gather outside of the north.’ That line was practically a mantra back when I studied in the Empire.”
“…!”
“If you’re so confident, feel free to enter the north with just 19 mercenaries. But I can’t promise you’ll come out alive.”
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